I can totally relate to your sentiments, Tony. I'm only ten minutes from downtown but being on the far side of a mountain leaves me surrounded by wilderness. I am grateful. Thank you. Love and peace to you,

Reminded me of the line from Strawberry Fields Forever, 'No one I think is in my tree...'
As a kid I had a favourite tree known throughout the village as 'the monkey'. It grew at a 90degree angle which made it easy to scale. Many a time I sat at the top of the angle just thinking and looking around - good hiding place too.

'Your big smoke'

My home city of Edinburgh (Scotland) was nicknamed 'the big smoke' for decades. This was due to the blackened buildings caused by smog created by chimney smoke from homes and industry. The city is clean now, the colour sandstone has replaced black, fresh air reigns, yet somehow something is missing, the homeliness. Nostalgia has been useful in retrieving this homely sense of community through memories of 'the big smoke'. However, in the present however too long for and head to the country whenever 'the push' is too much.